Troop 3017 from Coalinga (Brownies and Juniors) and their brothers had a blast visiting the mysterious "council" in Fresno. Here are the girls with their Troop leaders and Membership Development Specialist, Kristina Hernandez (center back).

Girl Scouting Around the World (formerly known as World Thinking Day) is February 23, 2013. Country Selection is now open. Some changes this year:

Troops/SU's are to list five country choices. Applications with only one country listed will not be accepted.

Troops/SU's will not be issued the same country in consecutive years.

Troops/SU's requesting booths with full walls will be charged $10 (non-refundable).

There is no requesting booth placement. Country booths will be placed together and all other booths will be placed in their designated areas.

Booth deposit will not be refunded if cancelled after Friday, February 8, 2013. Additionally the deposit will not be returned if the Troop/SU has not begun setting up by 9:00AM on Saturday February 23, 2013 and if they begin to tear down before 4:00PM. There are no exceptions to this.

Do you play an instrument? We are looking for girls ages 14-18 with 3 - 4 years experience playing an instrument to be a part of performing at our Holiday Display VIP Reception at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport on Friday, November 30 at 6 PM. Please contact Tori Sampson at tsampson@girlscoutsccs.org.

Fall Product NEWS

Girl Scouts booths will be in your neighborhoods beginning November 2nd. For 3 weeks only, purchase your favorites, like the delicious Chocolate Covered Almonds, spicy Hot Cajun Crunch and the new Blueberry Pomegranate Nut Crunch. You can also give back by donating to the Operation Gratitude program; your $5 donation can go toward a magazine subscription to be sent to military units overseas, or nuts and candies to our active military troops. Learn more about the Fall Product Program (Nuts, candies and magazines) here!

-Halloween Merchandise is on sale! Check out our Facebook Page for more information!

Store Hours Update:

Fresno Gold Mine Store:

Closed - Saturday, Nov 10 and Monday, Nov 12

Wednesday, Nov 21, we will close at 1:00PM.

Bakesfield Gold Mine Store:

Closed - Saturday, Nov 10 and Monday Nov 12

Wednesday, Nov 21, we will close at 1:00PM.

Bakersfield: Modified store hours from Nov 1 - Nov 30

Monday - Friday: 11:00AM - 5:00PM

Saturday/Sunday: Closed

We now have the remaining 5 County Patches in the Fresno store for sale to adults who wish to purchase. Each segment is available for sale at $1.50 each or $7.00 for the set.

NEW PSA CONTEST

ASKS GIRLS HOW TO END BULLYING

Girl Scouts is taking on bullying in a big way. Our "Be a Friend First" initiative rolls out this winter, and our fall/winter PSA contest gives girls a chance to create a video, write a script, or make a storyboard, telling the world how to stop bullying in its tracks. The contest, at speakout.girlscouts.org/create is open through January 31, but entries are already streaming in; take a peek and vote on your favorites.

Nominate an inspirational woman in your community today!

2013 Women Inspiring Girls - Fresno

We would love your help in nominating a dynamic woman to join our Inspiring Girls Society. Fill in the nomination form, and mail or hand it in to your local council office, or email dchamberlain@girlscoutsccs.org. Deadline is November 30, 2012.

Got Milk? Photo Contest Coming SOON!

Girls submit a photo showing how milk and Girl Scouting have helped make them become strong, healthy and confident young women. Open to all currently registered Girl Scouts (except Girl Scout Adults) of all grade levels belonging to one of the eight Girl Scout councils in California. Great prizes!

After November 5, 2012, read complete rules and download an entry/release format at www.gotmilk.com/news, Contest ends December 21, 2012. MORE DETAILS COMING SOON!

GSCCS Grant News

GSCCS applied for and was one of only 9 Girl Scout Councils granted funding for the Challenge and Change Rural Youth Development project, made possible by the generosity of the USDA. Our project, part of the Girl Scouts in Rural Communities program, will be in the communities of Orosi and Orange Cove. The program mission is to build leadership opportunities to girls and volunteers who make rural communities their home, and provide a safe environment for girls so they may work to broaden their horizons and inspire them to make their world a better, safer place.

Volunteers Needed!

Visalia Friendship House needs volunteers on October 27th to help paint! Learn more here!

Big Fresno Fair

Another big crowd arrived October 11 for the "Feed the Need"Community Food Drive at the Big Fresno Fair! A special thank you to all Girl Scouts who supported this year's food drive. A total of 153,082 pounds (76.5 tons) of food was collected! Also a special thank you to the more than 23 Girl Scout volunteers that donated their time helping out that day. Pictured: THANK YOU to Troop 268 who donated 400 cans of food!

Adult Recognition

Everyone likes to feel appreciated for their volunteer service. Please nominate a deserving volunteer so that they receive the recognition they have earned. Guidelines can be found in the Adult Recognition Nomination Packet. Nominations are due to the Council Office by November 30, 2012, and will be presented at the Annual Meeting on February 2, 2013.

Volunteer Carousel

Thank you to everyone that helped make this year's Volunteer Carousel successful. We had 60 registered participants and 18 volunteer presenters. A special thank you to Lee Nave and her committee for doing a fantastic job on organizing the event. She organized the presenters, decorations, lunch, registration information and so much more! To view more pictures visit our Facebook Page!

Are you a Girl Scout alumna? Don't forget to sign up on our website as a Girl Scout alumnae!

Ideas for Troop Activities

For everything you could think of for girls of all ages, from making an indoor tree house, learning how to manage money, tips from writers and authors, speaking out about bullying, and so many fun activities: visit http://forgirls.girlscouts.org/

The 50th Annual Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Day Service, on May 27, 2013 is looking for Girl Scouts to participate in the service. Please contact Tony at (559) 438-8481 for more information.

Girl Scout commemorative silver dollars

Girl Scouts CEO Anna Maria Chávez said the upcoming Girl Scout silver dollar will be a "great way to reach our 3.2 million members. (It will) show them they are now part of the currency of the country."Read more about the commemorative coin on the GSUSA Blog.

The Soroptimist Club of Hanford invites applications from girls who live in Visalia, Dinuba, Woodlake, Exeter, etc. Applications should be emailed/mailed to Jessie Veyna, 1619 S. University, Visalia 93277. Questions to: 559-627-2504, jessveyna@att.net.

The Soroptimist Club of Clovis invites applications from girls who lives in the Fresno and Clovis areas. Applications should be emailed to siclovis@soroptimist.net. Questions to: Sue Mettee 559-307-4503.

The Honor Flight program takes World War II veterans to the Veterans' Day Memorial in Washington DC. There are 90 veterans going from Bakersfield this year. Schools, clubs and other organizations are being asked to write letters, cards or make pictures to be handed out to these veterans on their way home, to show appreciation for their service. The letters are due November 2nd and can be made out to a WWII veteran.

Drop off your letters to Rebecca Hyatt at the Bakersfield office (or Sarina de la Rosa in Fresno) and we will get them to the Veterans in the Honor Flight program.

Forever Green

The Girl Scouts Forever Green 100th Anniversary Take Action Project was developed in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency. By October 2012, involvement in the Girl Scouts Forever Green Pledge has resulted in $10,354,370 saved on home energy bills, 237,261,281 kWh of energy saved, 397,876,228 pounds of CO2 eliminated, 196,073,600 gallons of water saved, and 32,598,068 pounds of waste eliminated.

Thank you to our volunteer Board who generously give of their time and guidance.